Forking Paths
by Cyanne
Summary: A new, more independent Patty O'Green is born as her friendship with Rainbow Brite crumbles...


DISCLAIMER: Rainbow Brite, Rainbowland, and all  
characters contained therein are the property of  
Hallmark, Inc. I do not own them and I am not receiving  
any profit. This work of fiction is intended solely for  
the enjoyment of fans of this wonderful show.  
  
Author's note: this story takes place about a year or  
two after the TV series ends. "Speech," ~thoughts~.  
  
  
Every ending is also a beginning...  
  
  
FORKING PATHS  
  
A Rainbow Brite Fan Fiction  
  
by Cyanne  
  
  
  
Patty O'Green skipped down the Color Castle stairs,  
humming a cheery tune, a pair of skates slung over her  
shoulder. She and her best friend, Rainbow Brite, were  
going roller-skating today, and Patty could hardly  
wait.   
"Good morning, everyone!" she greeted the rest of  
the Color Kids, most of which were busy loading their  
morning batch of Star Sprinkles into the Color Console.   
"Morning," they chorused back. Red Butler, an  
adorable but arrogant little boy, performed a sweeping  
bow. On cue, Lala Orange giggled. Patty ignored Red's  
antics. ~All he ever does is show off~ she thought with  
disgust. ~I don't know why Lala thinks he's so funny~  
Patty found Buddy Blue infinitely more tolerable,  
though she almost never spoke to him. She looked across  
the room at another boy who was utterly absorbed in  
bouncing a basketball: Buddy Blue, the only other male  
Color Kid. Patty pursed her lips thoughtfully. Buddy  
was hard to figure out sometimes. Sports, sports,  
sports, was all Buddy thought about. The only time he  
acknowledged anybody was when they mentioned sports,  
and the only time he invited conversation was to  
lecture them about the importance of eating healthy  
food. Yet there was something about him that calmed  
her, though she could never figure out what it was.  
Maybe it was because Buddy never panicked; she'd never  
seen him get mad like Red Butler did sometimes. And he  
always got along well with everybody, even Krys, who  
gave Red some heavy competition in the arrogance  
department.   
As if sensing her gaze, Buddy suddenly looked up,  
surprising Patty. Automatically, she averted her eyes,  
sitting down on the floor to put on her skates, even  
though Rainbow had yet to arrive. She began gliding  
around the room, practicing the new spin she had  
learned. Around and around she went, just narrowly  
missing the rest of the kids, and almost tripping over  
Red's cape. When she smiled back at their surprise, she  
forgot to look where she was going, and stumbled over  
Buddy's basketball, just barely missing him.  
"Ow!" she cried, landing on her already scabby  
knees. "Keep your stupid ball out of my way!"  
Buddy, who had grabbed his ball and was examining  
it for damage, retorted: "Well, you should look where  
you're going."   
Patty scowled. "You're not supposed to play ball in  
the Castle!"  
"You're not supposed to skate in the Castle," Buddy  
countered coolly.  
Patty paused, trying to think of a suitable reply.   
"Well, you..." she began, feeling her cheeks flush.   
Just then, Twink, Rainbow's second-in-command and  
favorite among the sprites, rushed in, breathless.  
"Attention, please!"  
The Color Kids stopped what they were doing. Twink  
looked flustered, but that was hardly unusual. "Where's  
Rainbow?" Red asked.  
Twink stood importantly in the middle of the room.  
"She's not here. There was trouble on Earth and she and  
Starlight had to leave."  
An "awww" of disappointment travelled around the  
room.  
Twink continued: "She said to keep the Color  
Console running. Make sure there are enough Star  
Sprinkles."  
"She always says that," said Canary Yellow,  
smiling.  
Twink drew himself up straight, like a general.  
"Now, everyone, get to work!" With that, he was gone.  
The Color Kids laughed. Twink was so funny. He was  
so concerned with pleasing Rainbow that he sometimes  
forgot to do anything but fret.   
Red Butler cleared his throat. "As the leader of  
the Color Kids, I command that everyone make sure that  
their section of the Color Console has enough Star  
Sprinkles. Now get to work!" he said, imitating Twink.  
Lala giggled again.   
Patty rolled her eyes. Then she regarded her skates  
with disappointment. No skating today. ~Oh, well~ she  
thought, ~Rainbow will be back by lunchtime, and we can  
eat together~  
  
But Rainbow was not back by lunchtime. Patty,  
sitting on the steps of the Color Castle, sighed  
impatiently. There was nothing to do, and it looked  
like Rainbow was going to be gone all day. Bored, she  
got up and wandered outside to see what the other kids  
were doing.  
Canary Yellow and Indigo were jumping rope.  
Ordinarily, Patty would have joined them, but today she  
wasn't in the mood. Shy Violet was sitting under a tree  
reading. Red and Buddy were kicking around a soccer  
ball. Lala was sitting in the shade of another tree,  
painting her nails. After a moment's consideration,  
Patty approached her. "Hi, Lala."  
Lala looked up. "Hi, Patty. Want some nail polish?"  
Patty shook her head. "Can I sit down?"  
"Sure." Lala moved over to make room. Patty sat  
down with a sigh.   
"There is nothing to do," she said.  
"I know," Lala replied, scanning the area.  
Suddenly, she sat up. "Hey, I know what we can do!"  
"What?" Patty asked, interested.  
"Come on!" Lala jumped to her feet, pulling Patty  
with her.   
"Where are we going?" Patty asked. Then she saw  
where they were headed. Lala was pulling her over to  
where Red and Buddy were playing soccer.  
Lala stopped about six feet away from the boys.  
"Let's watch the boys play, Patty."  
"What for?" Patty asked. "They're just kicking a  
ball around."  
But Lala wasn't listening. She leaned close to  
Patty and whispered, "Don't you think Red's cute?"   
"Cute?" Patty repeated, incredulous. "Red?"  
"I think he's cute," Lala sighed. "Ooh!" she  
squealed, as Red kicked the ball past Buddy. "Yay,  
Red!"  
Red turned at the sound of her voice. Grinning, he  
bowed again. Lala sighed.  
Patty regarded Lala as if she'd grown a second  
head. "Lala, this is boring. Can we go now?"  
Lala, of course, didn't hear a word Patty said. She  
was smiling at Red. "You're a really good soccer  
player," she said.  
Red's grin widened. "I know." Suddenly the soccer  
ball hit him in the foot. Patty turned to see Buddy  
regarding the scene with a level of impatience akin to  
hers. Red gave it a swift kick back to its owner  
without missing a beat. "Do you want to play, Lala?"  
"Red!" Buddy exclaimed. "Girls can't play soccer!"  
Patty decided to take back her decision that Buddy  
was preferable to Red. "Who says!" she snapped at him.  
Red ignored them both. "I'll teach you to play," he  
said to Lala.  
Lala looked like she was about to melt. "I'd like  
that, Red Butler."  
"Lala!" Patty exclaimed, at the same instant that  
Buddy exclaimed, "Red!"   
"Lala," Patty suggested, "let's go roller-skating."   
For the first time, Lala actually looked at her.  
"Don't you want to play soccer with the boys, Patty?"  
"No, I want to skate."  
"Then go skate," Red told her. "Lala's staying  
here."  
"Fine." Patty tried to keep the anger out of her  
tone, but it seeped out anyway.  
"You should watch your temper, Patty," Lala said  
primly. "It isn't ladylike to get mad."  
Patty glared at her, wishing that Rainbow was  
around to settle this. ~She'd back me up~ Patty thought  
with confidence. But Rainbow wasn't here, and there was  
nothing Patty could do. Smug as he might be, Red was  
still the leader of the Color Kids, and she couldn't  
give him a piece of her mind without getting in  
trouble. And Rainbow would certainly hear about it, and  
be disappointed in Patty. So Patty swallowed her anger,  
and turned to walk away.  
Just then, the sound of horse's hooves pierced the  
air. Patty stopped and looked up. Rainbow was coming  
back! She and Starlight were galloping along the  
rainbow toward the Castle. Patty ran with the rest of  
the kids to form a circle around where Starlight would  
land.   
Starlight leapt off the rainbow, onto the roof of  
the Castle, and leapt off that to land right in the  
circle of Color Kids. Rainbow, her blond ponytail  
swinging, greeted the kids cheerily: "Hello, everyone!"  
"Welcome back, Rainbow," everyone chorused.  
Rainbow dismounted. "Thank you, Starlight," she  
said, patting his nose. "You did a good job." Then she  
noticed Patty tapping her shoulder. "Hi, Patty!"  
"Hi, Rainbow! Want to go roller-skating?"  
Rainbow's grin faded a little. "Oh, I can't, Patty.  
I have to go up to the Color Cave. Can we do it  
tomorrow?"  
Patty looked disappointed. "Just for a little  
while?"  
Rainbow shook her head. "I have a lot to do, Patty.  
I'm really sorry."  
Patty wanted to argue, but she knew that Rainbow  
was the leader of Rainbowland and had a lot to do. But  
sometimes, Patty thought to herself, it seemed like  
Rainbow _always_ had something to do. Abruptly she  
realized that Rainbow was looking at her expectantly.  
"Tomorrow?" she offered.  
"I promise," Rainbow grinned. Then she was off to  
the Color Cave.  
Patty watched her go, wondering what to do with  
herself. She looked around. Red was pushing Lala on the  
swing set. Patty wrinkled her nose in disgust. Everyone  
else had gone inside, except for Buddy, who was  
absently kicking around his soccer ball. Patty looked  
off toward the Color Cave, wishing again that Rainbow  
wasn't so busy all the time.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something  
move. It was Buddy's soccer ball. Automatically, Patty  
stopped it with her foot. Buddy saw where it had gone  
and motioned her to bring it back. Remembering Buddy's  
comment about girls playing soccer, Patty decided to  
teach Buddy a lesson. She put the ball down and gave it  
a good hard kick in Buddy's direction.  
Instead of being caught off guard, as she had hoped  
he would be, Buddy expertly stopped the ball with the  
side of his foot. He regarded Patty with surprise.  
"Good kick."  
Patty met his gaze evenly. "Can I play?"  
Buddy looked even more surprised. "Okay. I'll go  
easy on you."   
Patty bristled, but Buddy seemed not to notice how  
tactless his comment had been. When he kicked the ball  
toward her, Patty returned with an even harder kick.  
  
As the game progressed, Buddy appeared to lose his  
superior attitude. Sometimes he actually looked  
impressed. Patty realized with surprise that she was  
enjoying herself.  
Absorbed in the game, neither of them noticed  
Rainbow watching them until she cleared her throat.  
"Oh, hi, Rainbow," Patty said, stopping the ball  
under her foot.  
"You're a pretty good soccer player, Patty,"  
Rainbow complimented. "I never knew."   
Patty shrugged modestly. "Want to play?"  
Rainbow shook her head. "It's time for dinner."  
It was then that Patty noticed the sun was setting.  
She and Buddy had been playing for a long time. A quick  
glance around told her that she and Buddy were the last  
Kids to come inside for the evening meal. "Oh, sorry  
Rainbow," Patty said sheepishly.  
"It's okay. Come on, Buddy," Rainbow said.  
"Right behind you." Buddy caught the ball Patty  
kicked back at him and shifted it under his arm. Hand-  
in-hand, Patty and Rainbow entered the Color Castle,  
with Buddy trailing behind them.  
  
As promised, Patty and Rainbow went roller-skating  
the next day. Patty proudly showed off her new spin,  
then taught it to Rainbow. They skated as fast as they  
could around Rainbowland. They passed the field where  
Buddy and Red were playing soccer again. Patty looked  
around for Red's number one fan, but Lala was nowhere  
to be seen. Red actually looked like he was absorbed in  
the game.  
Patty slowed down to watch. Red was good, she had  
to admit, but Buddy was better. She watched as Red  
faked left, then darted right. Buddy blocked him  
expertly and stole the ball. Patty giggled.  
The two boys looked up at the sound of her voice.  
"Hi, Rainbow. Hi, Patty," Red said in his usually suave  
way. Buddy mumbled a "hey."  
"You guys having fun?" Rainbow asked. They nodded.  
Red added:  
"Want to play? I'll teach you."  
Rainbow raised her eyebrows, smiling. "That's not  
necessary, Red. I already know how to play soccer."  
"Oh." Red looked slightly embarrassed. "Hey Patty,  
do you want to learn?"  
"I already know how to play, too," Patty told him.  
"Right, Buddy?"  
Buddy nodded at Red. Somewhat flustered, Red  
shrugged, trying for nonchalance. "Okay, then. Have fun  
skating."  
Patty and Rainbow exchanged a conspirational  
giggle. "Well, Patty, let's go," Rainbow said brightly.  
"Oh, Red, Buddy, don't forget that there's singing  
practice tonight. Meeting room, seven o'clock."  
"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you, Rainbow," Red  
replied, with his old self-assured confidence. "We'll  
be there, won't we, Buddy?"  
"Sure, Rainbow," Buddy replied, absorbed in the  
game again. Patty and Rainbow skated off.  
  
Fifteen minutes before rehearsal, Patty and Lala  
were sitting on the floor of the meeting room, talking  
about the upcoming Sprite Fair. Patty was insisting  
that the roller-coaster was going to be the best ride,  
and Lala was arguing in favor of the Ferris Wheel.  
Red and Buddy entered the room, and Lala stopped  
mid-sentence and squealed: "Red! Buddy! Come sit with  
us!"  
As the boys approached, Lala whispered to Patty,  
"Doesn't Red look handsome?"  
~Not this again~ Patty thought wearily.  
Red performed his sweeping bow again, and Patty  
couldn't help rolling her eyes in disdain.   
"Red," Buddy whispered, within earshot of the  
girls, "I wish you could see how dumb you look when you  
do that."  
"Shut up," Red shot back under his breath. He sat  
down in front of Lala, yanking Buddy down with him.  
They were now sitting in a square, boys on one side and  
girls on the other. Lala was blushing and couldn't seem  
to stop laughing.  
"Do you like the song we're singing?" Lala asked,  
giggling.  
"'A Color Symphony'? Oh, yeah, it's great."  
Buddy raised his eyebrows at Red. "That's not what  
you told me."  
Red shot him a reprimanding look. Buddy grinned  
back.  
Patty caught Buddy's eye. She nodded toward Red and  
Lala and made a "can you believe these two" gesture.  
Buddy shook his head in response.  
Lala giggled at something Red said. "You're so  
funny, Red."  
Patty made a gagging motion with her finger. Buddy  
grinned and made a "crazy" motion toward Red. Patty  
smiled and giggled, surprising herself.  
Then Buddy did a surprising thing: he moved over  
and leaned against the wall next to her. Patty realized  
with a start that she and Buddy were actually having a  
conversation that didn't have to do with sports or  
health food.   
"Is Lala always like that?" Buddy asked. "Or just  
around Red?"  
Patty considered for a moment. "No, she's always  
like this. She gets dumb around boys."  
"Red's the same way with girls," Buddy sighed,  
disgusted. "All that bowing and stuff. I think he looks  
ridiculous."  
"Me too," said Patty, wrinkling her nose. "How do  
you stand him?"  
"He's a cool guy," Buddy replied loyally. Then he  
took another look at his friend. "Well, most of the  
time."  
  
Across the room, Rainbow watched Patty and Buddy  
with curiosity. When had they become such good friends?  
She knew they got along, but then again, Buddy got  
along with everybody. Patty, on the other hand...well,  
Rainbow knew what Patty thought of Red Butler. Rainbow  
herself had noticed that he could be a little  
overbearing at times. Still, Rainbow was happy that  
Patty had other friends to play with while she was  
away. As she heard Patty's laughter float across the  
room, Rainbow was surprised to feel a tiny pang of  
jealousy. ~That's silly~ she told herself. ~Patty's  
still my best friend. Nothing can change that~  
  
From then on, whenever Rainbow was off on  
"business," as she called it, Patty spent her time with  
Buddy. They got to be good friends. Patty discovered  
that there was more to him than sports and Buddy seemed  
to lose some of his initial shyness around girls. He'd  
confided in her that he was mystified by girls like  
Lala, who giggled at batted their eyelashes at boys  
like fools, and Patty agreed. They played soccer and  
sometimes basketball, and Patty taught Buddy to skate.  
Patty was surprised at how much she and Buddy had in  
common: they both loved to be outdoors and hated  
sitting around doing nothing. Patty found Buddy  
surprisingly easy to talk to, for a boy. There was  
something about him that...well she couldn't describe  
it, but it made her feel good. Often, she was almost  
glad when a meadow on Earth lost its color, and Rainbow  
and Starlight rode the rainbow to save it.  
  
One morning several weeks later, Patty woke up in  
happy anticipation. Today, Rainbow had promised that  
her day would be free. Of course, she had no way of  
knowing when some color catastrophe would happen, but  
spring was well on its way, and Murky and Lurky had  
been quiet for a long time. Patty had no idea what she  
and Rainbow were going to do that day, but she knew she  
couldn't wait. It had been an awfully long time since  
she and Rainbow had done anything, just the two of  
them, and as comforting as her friendship with Buddy  
was, Patty still missed her best friend.  
That morning, Patty pranced down the stairs to  
breakfast, her braids bobbing. "Good morning,  
everyone!" she sang.  
"Morning, Patty," they chorused.  
Patty took her seat around the round table, between  
Canary Yellow and Buddy. "Morning, Canary. Morning,  
Buddy!"  
"Morning," he answered. "Hey, Patty, do you want to  
play basketball later?"  
"I can't. Rainbow and I are going to do something."  
"Oh." He looked disappointed. "What are you going  
to do?"  
Patty shrugged happily. "I don't know." She heard  
the sound of footsteps in the hall. "Here she comes!"  
All of the kids regarded the door in anticipation.  
But to their surprise, instead of Rainbow, Twink  
emerged.  
"Everyone!" shouted Twink. "I have an  
announcement!"  
"What is it, Twink?" asked Red Butler.  
"Murky and Lurky built a blimp and flew to earth  
with Murky's gloom machine. Rainbow and Starlight left  
this morning. She said to tell you to carry on with  
your duties, and she'll be back as soon as she can."  
A murmur of concern rustled around. Murky Dismal!  
How awful!   
Patty felt like she was about to cry. But it wasn't  
because Rainbow might be in danger; she knew that  
Rainbow was perfectly capable of taking care of  
herself. What stung Patty was that Rainbow had broken  
her word. She had promised! Patty sensed she was being  
irrational, but, Murky and Lurky or not, Rainbow had  
_promised_.  
"Oh, and Patty?" continued Twink.  
Patty answered softly, "What?"  
Twink lowered his voice respectfully. "Rainbow said  
to tell you she's sorry."  
Patty felt her lower lip begin to tremble. She  
pushed away her cereal. Suddenly she was aware that  
everyone was regarding her curiously.  
"Patty, are you okay?" Canary inquired, sounding  
concerned.  
"Patty?" Buddy asked.  
Patty felt like she was going to explode. Abruptly,  
she pushed back her chair and ran out of the room.  
She kept running until she was outside. In the  
clear morning air, she could breathe again. And that  
weird feeling in her chest, like someone was standing  
on it, went away. Patty took deep breaths, to make her  
heart slow down. She couldn't stop thinking, ~It's not  
fair, it's not fair!~ And then that weird feeling in  
her chest came back. Patty sat down in the shade of a  
tree to make the feeling go away.  
Suddenly, someone emerged from the Castle. Patty  
looked up curiously, and was surprised to see that it  
was Buddy. What was he doing out here? Probably looking  
for his soccer ball, she decided. Then she noticed that  
he was walking over to her. Puzzled, she silently  
watched him approach.  
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.  
"Yeah," Patty said guardedly. What was this? This  
wasn't like Buddy at all. "What do you want?"  
Buddy shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know." He  
seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then: "Just--just  
wanted to see if you were okay," he finished quickly.  
Patty sniffled and looked up at him curiously. He'd  
come all the way out here to--wait a minute. "Did Red  
tell you to come out here and check on me?" she asked  
crossly. "Because I can take care of myself, and I'm  
FINE."   
Buddy shook his head emphatically. "No, no one told  
me." Suddenly, he flushed, and shoved his hands into  
his pockets uncomfortably.  
Patty, even at this young age, was pretty  
perceptive. She knew then that she had made a friend  
for life.  
  
Patty woke up one morning a month and a half later  
anticipating a hiking trip with Buddy in the mountains  
that surrounded Rainbowland. Rainbow was out of the way  
because a huge forest had burnt down on Earth, and she  
had announced yesterday that she would probably be gone  
at least two days. Of this Patty was glad, because  
lately, a new tension had developed between her and  
Rainbow. Rainbow was absent from Rainbowland almost  
every day, and Patty had ceased to expect their old  
camaraderie on the seldom occasions when Rainbow had a  
free moment. She now spent almost all of her free time  
with Buddy. Patty was so comfortable around him that  
she sometimes found it hard to believe they'd only been  
close friends for a month or two.  
Patty did not know what Rainbow thought of her  
friendship with Buddy. But Patty had seen a flash of  
hurt in Rainbow's eyes more than once, though Rainbow  
had yet to comment on the matter. Patty might have felt  
guilty, if not for the still-fresh memory of her own  
hurt and resentment at being shoved aside whenever a  
frog's left leg on Earth lost its color.   
That morning, Patty skipped breakfast in order to  
pack for the trip. When she was finished, she slung her  
bag over her shoulder and skipped down the Castle steps  
to where Buddy was waiting for her by the door. "Took  
you long enough," he grumbled good-naturedly.  
"Be quiet and let's go," Patty replied, with equal  
cheer. She strode out the door, and froze.  
Rainbow was standing there, arms crossed and her  
face sad.  
Patty stared, unable to speak. Behind her, Buddy  
asked, "Is something wrong?"  
"Buddy," Rainbow said evenly, "Can I talk to Patty  
alone, please?"  
"Sure," Buddy said, bewildered. He went back inside  
the Castle.  
Patty was unsure of what to do. "Is something  
wrong, Rainbow? Do you need me to help you?"  
"No, I just got back early. Do you want to roller  
skate?"  
Patty hesitated. "Well, Buddy and I are going   
hiking today."  
"Tomorrow, then?"  
Again Patty hesitated. "Well, tomorrow's the Sprite  
Fair, and I kinda told Buddy I'd ride the roller  
coaster with him."  
"I see." Rainbow looked at her feet. "It seems like  
you're spending a lot of time with Buddy."  
"Well..." Patty decided to tell the truth. "You're  
almost never here, Rainbow. You're always out with  
Starlight, on Earth or with Brian or with Krys, or  
fighting Murky and Lurky. And when you are in  
Rainbowland, you're always at the Color Caves or at the  
Color Console or working on something with Violet. What  
am I supposed to do when my best friend is never  
around?" Deep hurt and buried resentment crept  
unintended into her tone, but she faced Rainbow  
bravely.  
Rainbow looked hurt as well. "I'm sorry I'm not  
always here for you, Patty," Rainbow said quietly,"but  
I have--"  
"A lot of work to do, I know," Patty finished. "You  
_always_ have a lot of work to do, Rainbow."  
"Patty, I have a responsibility--"  
Suddenly Patty was tired of listening to Rainbow's  
excuses. "Well, maybe if you have responsl--responslib-  
-whatever you have, you don't need a best friend!"  
"I do need a best friend! But best friends are  
supposed to understand! Patty," Rainbow rationalized,  
"I had to work hard to get where I am."  
"Oh, yeah," Patty spat, "I almost forgot that  
you're the great Rainbow Brite, but you're also _my_  
best friend!"  
"I know that! But Rainbowland means so much to me  
that sometimes I have to be Rainbow Brite, not Patty  
O'Green's best friend!"  
Patty's eyes widened. "You mean your work is more  
important than me?"  
"Of course! No, wait, I mean--it has to be! Don't  
you under--"  
Patty interrupted angrily. "I understand, all  
right!"  
"Patty, there is a tremendous responsibility in  
being me!  
Patty was beginning to lose control. "You think  
you're so perfect." Her tone became mocking. "Brave,  
heroic Rainbow Brite, saved Rainbowland from   
darkness--"  
"You have no idea what I went through--" Rainbow  
began hotly.  
"I know _exactly_ what you went through," Patty  
snapped, "because I was LIVING in that dark, horrible  
world before you even got there!"  
Temporarily subdued, Rainbow paused for a moment.  
"But I was chosen--" she stammered.  
"By who?" Patty challenged. "You're not even _from_  
this world, Rainbow! I was already living here--and so  
were the rest of the Color Kids--when you came. We'd  
been living here for centuries! Nobody asked _us_ if we  
wanted some strange girl from a faraway planet to  
rescue us!"  
"But you needed me! This world needed me!"  
"That doesn't give you any right to boss everyone  
around!"  
Rainbow stared at her in shock. "What are you  
saying, Patty?"   
"I'm saying I've had enough. Forget your  
responsbli-responsilb--your duty, Rainbow Brite and  
FORGET YOU!" ~What am I doing?~ Patty wondered  
absently. But there was no stopping the flood of  
emotions that had taken her over.  
Rainbow had turned white. "Are you--are you...is  
this...?"  
"You're not my best friend anymore, Rainbow. Buddy  
is. I don't want a best friend who has no time for me."  
Rainbow's outraged pallor was softened by the tears  
shimmering in her eyes. "I can't believe you're saying  
this. But if that's how you feel..." Without finishing  
her sentence, Rainbow stalked past Patty into the Color  
Castle.  
Patty felt as if she were carved from ice. She  
could hardly believe what had just come out of her  
mouth, but she knew she believed it; she just hadn't  
realized it. She really _was_ tired of Rainbow always  
having her way, and always pushing her aside in favor  
of Starlight and the rainbow and her "duty." Patty  
realized that these feelings had been laying dormant  
inside her mind for a long time. She felt years older.  
Dazed, she sank to the ground. How had a simple fight  
with a friend turned into rebellion? Because that was  
what this was, Patty realized. There was no going back  
now.  
Shaking and near tears, she hauled her backpack  
onto her shoulder from where it had fallen recklessly  
on the ground. Then she remembered Buddy. Had he heard  
all that? She turned quickly, but he was nowhere to be  
seen.  
Patty stood at a loss for a moment, then walked  
back into the castle, carefully considering her next  
move. She had no idea where Buddy was, and if he had  
heard--he might take Rainbow's side. Patty froze with  
the horror of that thought. Buddy, her friend--her  
_best_ friend, she amended--just _had_ to be on her  
side, didn't he?  
  
Before Patty went to dinner that evening, she  
carefully prepared herself. No doubt the story had gone  
around Rainbowland, and who knew what the other kids  
would have to say about it. She knew she had to hold  
firm to her position, however daring, because Patty  
hated someone who went back on their word.  
The dining room sparkled with its usual  
conversation. But as soon as Patty entered, it abruptly  
ceased. As she strode to her usual seat, Patty could  
feel six pairs of eyes staring at her. A quick glance  
around told her that she was in bigger trouble that  
she'd imagined. The other Kids' gazes were shocked and  
accusing. Suddenly afraid, Patty considered leaving  
again, but somehow could not make herself do it. She  
looked at Buddy, but he wouldn't meet her eye.  
"Hi, Canary," Patty said as she took her seat.  
No response.  
Frowning, Patty turned to Buddy. "Hi, Buddy."  
He looked intensely uncomfortable. "Hey," he  
mumbled.  
Patty suddenly felt as if she was about to cry. She  
looked around the table. "Hello, everyone."  
Silence. ~I will not cry~ Patty admonished herself,  
~I will NOT~  
Rainbow entered the room. Everyone but Patty  
chorused a "hello." Patty sat up straight. She no  
longer felt like crying. She felt strong and proud.  
~She can't make me take it back~ Patty thought, ~I  
won't let her~  
Rainbow, instead of sitting down, continued to  
stand, as if she was about to make a speech. Patty  
jumped when she heard herself addressed:  
"Patty?" Rainbow said coldly. "Have you thought  
about what you said to me earlier today?"  
Patty looked her in the eye. "Yes."  
"Do you want to take it back? I'll forgive you."  
Patty fixed Rainbow with a cold stare. ~You can't  
intimidate me~ she thought. "No."  
A gasp of shock from the rest of the kids.  
Rainbow looked at a loss for a moment. Then, with  
determination: "Fine. Then I am hereby placing you on  
probation."  
"What?!"  
"For my power to work, I need all of the Color Kids  
behind me. You made it clear this afternoon that you  
are no longer willing to support me. Therefore I'm  
suspending you from your duties until--"  
Buddy burst out: "You can't do that!"  
Rainbow stared at Buddy in surprise. "Buddy, not  
you, too," she said in dismay.  
Buddy hesitated. "I'm not saying I agree with what  
Patty said, but...you can't kick her out of the Color  
Kids. She's a part of us."  
"I'm not kicking her out," Rainbow explained. "I'm  
placing her on probation. Someone else will take over  
her duties until she changes her attitude. I need all  
of you to work as a team, and as long as Patty  
continues to behave like this, I can't count on the  
support of her color, and my power is weakened.  
"Most of you think my power is based on myself, but  
that's not true," Rainbow continued. "My power depends  
on my friends, and their faith in me. While it's true I  
can't use my power unless I believe in myself, I can't  
believe in myself if my friends don't believe in me."  
Patty felt her stomach sink. She hadn't thought of  
it that way, that her personal rebellion might disrupt  
the collective harmony of the rainbow. She began to  
understand just how seriously her actions had affected  
Rainbow and the other Color Kids. But still, she'd  
meant what she'd said, and she believed she'd had the  
right to say it. ~How can I support Rainbow and deny  
own feelings?~ she wondered.  
Then she became aware that Buddy and Rainbow were  
still arguing. As she listened to the exchange, she was  
stunned. Buddy was defending her!   
Rainbow's cheeks her flushed. "As Rainbow Brite, I  
have a responsibility to maintain harmony in  
Rainbowland. I'm doing this for the good of the  
rainbow. Patty just needs time to think about what  
she's done, and how it affects our work. I'm sure  
she'll see things my way, and we can forget this whole  
thing. But until then, I have to teach her a lesson,  
and," her voice softened, "I am sorry, Buddy, but  
there's nothing you can do about it."  
Patty stood up from her seat. "I'll never see  
things your way, Rainbow Brite, not if you put me on  
probation for the rest of my life!" She stomped proudly  
out of the room.  
What happened next the Color Kids would remember  
forever. Hesitating only half a moment, Buddy stood up  
from the table and announced: "If Patty goes, then I go  
too!" With that, he was gone.  
The silence around the table was deafening. No one  
could believe what they had just witnessed. How dared  
Patty! And how dared Buddy!  
"Well, Rainbow," Red asked carefully, hoping she  
wouldn't blame him for Patty's outburst. He was, after  
all, leader of the Color Kids and responsible for their  
actions. "What are we going to do now?"  
Rainbow's eyes were red with unshed tears. "We're  
going to sit here and eat dinner," she said quietly,  
controlling her tone with noticeable effort.  
"But what about--" Indigo began.  
"Let them go," said Rainbow.  
  
Patty stood out in the hall, leaning against the  
wall to catch her excited breath. She'd stood up to  
Rainbow Brite! She felt as if she could do anything in  
the world.  
She heard someone else in the corridor, coming  
closer. Buddy came around the corner, slightly out of  
breath as well. He stopped as if unsure of what to do.  
"Hi," he finally said.  
"What are you doing out here?" Patty asked.  
"I left," Buddy said nonchalantly.  
Patty's mouth dropped open. "Why?"  
"I don't think what Rainbow did was fair."  
Patty could hardly believe her ears. "You  
left...for me?"  
Buddy looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Uh,  
well...yeah," he finished, almost defiantly.  
Patty hesitated. "Did you hear what I said to  
Rainbow earlier?" Half of her hoped that he hadn't, the  
other hoped that he had.  
Buddy looked at his feet. "Yeah, I did."  
Patty prepared herself for the defensive. "Do you  
think I was right?"  
Buddy continued to stare at his feet. "Well, I  
wasn't sure at first. I mean, you just don't tell off  
Rainbow Brite. But..." he trailed off.  
"What?"  
Buddy shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don't  
want her to kick you out of the Color Kids," he  
finished self-consciously.  
Patty looked at her feet, too. "But she did," she  
said, allowing sadness to creep into her voice.  
"No, she didn't!" Buddy exclaimed. When she looked  
up in surprise at his forceful tone, he stammered, "I  
mean..." he sighed. "I don't want you to leave."  
Patty smiled again. "Friends?" She extended her  
hand. "Best friends?"  
Buddy took it. "You bet."  
"Yes!" Patty cried. "You are the _best_ best friend  
ever!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him.  
He pulled away in embarrassment. "Aww, knock it  
off." But he was smiling. "Hey, am I going to regret  
this?"  
"I don't know," she answered honestly.  
  
  
FIN 


End file.
